Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which (a) Government department and (b) Minister has responsibility for negotiations on (i) the World Health Organization Pandemic Preparedness Treaty and (ii) proposed amendments to the World Health Organization International Health Regulations (2005); and what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential effects of these measures.

The negotiations taking place at the World Health Organization (WHO) on the Pandemic Instrument are jointly led by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office. The negotiations taking place on the proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR) are being led by the Department of Health and Social Care. Myself and the Minister of State for Development and Africa, the Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP.

Both negotiations are Member State led and no text or amendments have been agreed yet for either instrument. The UK continues to negotiate the text of the Pandemic Instrument and the amendments to the IHR to ensure delivery of our priorities and provide the tools to achieve improvements globally in key areas of health emergency preparedness, prevention, and response. This could include promoting fast and open sharing of genetic sequencing data and pathogen samples; improving the implementation of the IHR; strengthening surveillance and detection of emerging diseases; strengthening health systems; increasing timeliness of emergency reporting; and promoting international collaboration on science and research.